Facing Opposition - Acts 6:8-7:60

We see in the book of Acts, that the early church was riding a wave of momentum. The Apostles were preaching "Christ is risen!" "Christ is King!"

Signs and wonders were being carried out in the name of Jesus. The hand of God's grace and judgement were evident to everyone around. People were being saved in their thousands!

The opposition could not stand against them. Not threats, imprisonment or flogging could stop the Apostles. Jesus promised that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea, He promised his Holy Spirit would be upon them and it was happening!

Then we come to the end of Acts 6:8-15, and here we meet a man called Stephen, who was one of the 7 men chosen by that first gathering of believers, and authorized by the Apostles. The Spirit of God was on Stephen, and everyone saw it including the religious leaders, and then the members of a synagogue. Opposition was rising!

What starts as a seed bed among a select group of leaders and influencers, quickly germinates. Stephen faced opposition from members of the synagogue, who represent the very same Hellenistic Jews that Stephen was serving!

That is often how it works. Those whom you think would be closest to you can become critics and enemies. It happened to Jesus with Judas. You may face it too.

Stephen was proclaiming Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and these Jews saw it as traitorous, blasphemous and a threat. Opposition, often comes with slander and lies and that is what Stephen faced. (Acts 6:11-14)

Isn't it the case if you cannot attack the argument, you attack the man?

These Jews did not believe in Jesus, they saw him as a threat, so the grace, power and wisdom that was evident in Stephen, was also a threat. They believed that Jesus and the Christian movement were rejecting the very foundations of Judaism, and that threatened their worldview and way of life. Few things are scarier, or more threatening, than having your foundational beliefs challenged. So they set out to discredit Stephen, even if it meant lies and slander.

If you are a follower of Jesus, expect the same. People will mischaracterize you, falsely judge you, distort what you say and believe, and maybe even slander you, or tell lies about you.

Stephen, was one of the greatest leaders in the Bible, though his life was cut off abruptly. Stephen was the first Christian Martyr. He had a logistical mind and a generous heart. He was a man filled with joy, peace, contentment, patience and kindness. We see that in His dying prayer "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." at the time of his stoning. (Acts 7:59-60)

To the lost, Stephen was a bold and faithful witness. By far, the greatest power of Stephen's life was the power of the word of God, the power of the Gospel. He was God's chosen instrument to do Apostolic level ministry. God worked vertically. Stephen was holy, he was zealous and filled with love for God. He was humble and he was a powerful faithful servant of Christ. Horizontally, he was selfless, wise, a loving servant of widows and a bold proclaimer of the gospel toward lost Jews.

Acts 6:15 says:

"All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel."

We see Stephen's radiant face. He did not show any fear.

Similar to Moses in Exodus 34:29 when he came down from Mount Sinai..he was not aware his face was radiant."

We see the same thing happen to Jesus in Matthew 17:2:

"There he was transformed before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light."

The radiant face, served as a visible sign of God's divine glory and presence, and God gave Stephen an honour that He doesn't give people, and that was to see heaven open and "Jesus standing at the right hand of God. " (Acts 7:56)

What does Stephen's life and death teach us?

a) People are watching how we live, and how we die. God does His greatest work through 'ordinary people'. But ordinary people, full of the Spirit can do anything. Jesus said His followers would do "greater works" than Him, because He was going to the Father and sending His Spirit to us. (John 14:12) That means that some of God's greatest miracles, are supposed to happen through us.

The Apostle Paul was impacted by how Stephen died. In Acts 9, we read of Paul's conversion which is an answer to the dying prayer of Stephen:

"Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

Then in Acts 22:20, when Paul is conversing with Jesus, he says these words:

"And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those killing him."

We should not lose sight of the fact that people are always watching us, and that even the most hardened hearts can be softened by our Saviour. We should pray not only for persecuted believers, but also their persecutors.

b) The core of Christian commitment is service. Sometimes, we have to make room in our lives to do things we are not necessarily thrilled to do. We should approach every service opportunity in the same manner as Stephen. "It is not about me, and if this is how I can serve the body of Christ, I will gladly do it."

 c) Nothing is more important than God's word. We have to prioritise reading, learning and understanding it, so that we are ready to give a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in us.

d) If you are reading this, and you are not a believer as yet, don't miss God's salvation. The time to get ready is now, not later. Let's humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and receive salvation, while the door is still open.

Stephen's most effective contribution to the kingdom of God came through martyrdom. It may be that God's will for our lives is the road to martyrdom, but only when we know that Jesus stands before us, in love and victory at the right hand of God, will we have the power to endure the scorn of the world; and though earth may reject us, we can endure, knowing that Heaven will welcome us.

How wonderful is that!